Majorera donkey

Description

The Majorera Donkey is usually grey, going from pale to dark grey, and may be brown. It has primitive markings: the typical mule’s stripe, dorsal and shoulder stripe and zebra striping on the legs that shows that they descend from the African donkey. They are well proportioned, giving their overall appearance a pleasant quality. They are very rustic, long-lived and resistant to adverse conditions.

Ethology

They are well adapted to the semi-desert environment on the island of Fuerteventura, being able to withstand high temperatures and water scarcity. They are very energetic and vivacious which is why they have always been very valuable and used for work by the island’s inhabitants. The gestation period lasts for about 12 months, after which one foal is born. 

Interesting facts

They were introduced to Fuerteventura at the time of the Spanish conquest. They then spread to the rest of the islands, but currently their geographic distribution is limited to the islands of Fuerteventura and to a lesser extent, Lanzarote. Human movement away from the countryside and towards the cities and the adoption of machinery has meant that donkeys have fallen out of use, causing steep drops to this species’ population. Currently, there are less than 200 Majorera donkeys and it is included in the category of “breeds at risk of extinction”.